Wednesday, September 14, 2005

KatySat is a new application of the cubesat standard to put space technology into the hands of K-12 students. During the inaugural mission, students from a SF Bay Area high school will plan and command real space missions, analyze telemetry data and perform predictive calculations, establish communication links and global collaborations with other students around the world, and experience a team environment as beginning engineers. The emphasis of the project is for the students to have fun while discovering the applications of the material covered in their math, science, and technology classes.

OK, here's something weird. Every week in Bad Science we either victimise some barking pseudoscientific quack, or a big science story in a national newspaper. Now, tell me, why are these two groups even being mentioned in the same breath? Why is science in the media so often pointless, simplistic, boring, or just plain wrong? Like a proper little Darwin, I've been collecting specimens, making careful observations, and now I'm ready to present my theory.It is my hypothesis that in their choice of stories, and the way they cover them, the media create a parody of science, for their own means. They then attack this parody as if they were critiquing science. This week we take the gloves off and do some serious typing.

Sunday, September 11, 2005

Overkill, Maybe

I've been slowly fixing the dog pen (a rather large dog pen) so that our newest dog doesn't dig out. I cannot train her for the new 3 acre invisible fence until she is unable to escape from containment areas.

I have up until this point just been fixing the spots between fence posts where she digs out.

I'm getting more ambitious and have purchased 600 lbs of concrete, 200 lbs of small rock. I already have a butt load of chicken wire and rebar /w ties. I'm gonna get this party started. Assuming I don't throw my back out or something more serious.

Let the fortifications begin.....

[editors note: ambiguous was changed to ambitious thanks to the watchful eye of biggest brother]

Sunday, September 04, 2005

I have installed 2 of these puppies in my dog yard. This is the cheap version for 1-2 normal dogs.

I don't have 1-2 normal dogs. I have 3 large dogs that produce copious amounts of crap.

My solution, which works rather well, is to cut out the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket and bury it below the Doggie Dooley.

Now, I had a problem. My dog yard is made mostly of sand, which perks really well. I couldn't keep water in the first dog septic tank that I put in. Luckily I had not put any poop in at this point. So I went to the front garden which has lots of clay and dug up several wheel barrows full of clay.

I dug up the Doggie Dooley and surrounding sand. I put a thin layer of clay below the 5 gallon bucket (can't have it perk to slowly) and filled around the bucket with clay. I put the Doggie Dooley on top and filled in with clay and sand.

This worked great for a while. Now it is full of shit. So, I have put in another Doggie Dooley and 5 gallon bucked with no clay. Just good ole sand surrounds this one. It perks too good right now. But, as I discovered with the first try, things that don't break down as fast as poop (leaves, sticks, etc.) tend to make it perk slower over time.

The first one is still digesting and I add water everyday and enzymes often. One day I hope it will drain completely again so I can use it on occasion to decrease some of the burden on poop eater number two.

I am not going to dig it out to put sand back around it. (yuck!)

I read somewhere about some super bacterial stuff you can buy to break up sluge faster and even completely. I may try some of that if it doesn't cost too much and is environmentally friendly.

By the way, both are well over 50' away from our well and located so the natural drain path should be away from the well.

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Atlas and Pearl are learning very quickly how to avoid a correction. We even did some distraction training since Adelle dug her way out of the dog yard again.

The dog yard is a large pen type area with a 6 foot chain link fence. I have been filling the sections between poles where Adelle digs with chicken wire, gravel, concrete, and rebar attached to the fence. That stops her from digging in that spot again. We (Adelle & I) have almost finished working our way around the perimeter of the fence. Once the reinforcements are complete, Adelle can start her invisible fence training.

I'm happy that Atlas and Pearl are learning so quickly. I need to make sure Atlas returns at least 10 feet from the "warning" zone so he just doesn't sit down listening to the noise until it stops (battery dead) and wanders off where ever he wants.

I did the training this morning with both Atlas and Pearl, but in the future I need to train them separately or have someone else training one at the same time. That is the only way I can insure that Atlas always retreats far enough from the warning zone.

Atlas has the stubborn dog collar with the highest level correction. The correction definitely gets his attention. He is so stoic that I dare not reduce the level, at least for now.

Pearl has the regular collar with the mild correction and it seems to work well.